A Series of Fourtris AU Oneshots
by Eden Kingsley
Summary: I love writing about when two people destined to be together meet for the first time. Or when they share their first kiss. Plus other touching moments. So when I have a need to write, and can't work on one of my larger projects, I'll be posting things in here. My imagination tends to jump around a bit so be prepared for a bumpy ride. These are unbetaed pieces, so be gentle.
1. Standing Up To Peter

That was it. I'd had enough of Peter's mental abuse. It was bad enough that I had to forever live with the fact that I actually dated him, but his constant insults had finally pushed me over the edge.

"You don't know how good you had it!" He yelled as I stormed away. "Do you really think anyone else will want you?"

His words stung and my footsteps quickened to a jog so I could get out of sight before I started to cry. I ducked into the tiny bar on my right silently praying he wouldn't follow me.

The place was unexpectedly busy considering it was only mid-afternoon, but what do I know? I've never actually gone in a bar before.

It took only a moment for my eyes to adjust to the lower artificial light compared to the bright sunshine outside. I tried to make a B-line for the ladies room, but Peter crashed through the bar room entrance before I could squeeze through the crowded room to the bathrooms.

"You're plain. No, you're ugly." Peter yelled over the heads of everyone seated at the scattered tables, not caring that every eye now turned to him. "You have no curves. In fact, I get more turned on looking at a 14 year old boy than you. You talk too much, you're too damned opinionated and you don't do what you're told. Ever!" He exhaled loudly. "No guy is ever going to ask you out, ever again. You'll be alone forever."

My mouth dropped open. Everyone was now looking at me, waiting for a reply to his verbal attack. The bar eerily silent. I knew I had to reply, but I had no words. Not only was I ready to burst into tears at any moment, but I couldn't think of anything equally hurtful that would be decent retaliation. I'm not the kind of person to ever say mean things about anyone, even someone as lowly as Peter.

That's when a deep voice spoke up from one of the tables in between Peter and I. "I'd go out with you." My head spun to face the new comer to the conversation. I recognized him immediately from my chemistry class. We'd never spoken before, but we'd already exchanged glances several times during the first two weeks of semester. His name was Tobias, and he was gorgeous. "I've been dying to ask you out ever since I first saw you."

Tobias stood and Peter took a step back, shock overtaking his face. Then another voice spoke up. A dark skinned man sitting next to Tobias. "I'd go out with you to." He stood up beside Tobias and smiled brightly in my direction.

The third guy at the table, who looked like a slightly older version of the second guy, stood next. "I'd totally go out with you." The girl beside him elbowed him in the ribs. "Well, if I was available I would."

I was so surprised to have these three strangers stand up for me. Then, almost simultaneously, every other male, and even a few females, stood adding in their bids. My hand flew to cover my mouth as the scene opened up in front of me. I felt tears threatening again, but this time they were tears of joy.

Then the woman behind the bar spoke up. "I'm calling the police."

Peter looked up at her in shock. "What?"

"You just admitted to being a pedophile. That's disgusting." The bar erupted in laughter as Peter turned a bright shade of crimson. He had no choice but to make a hasty retreat as the bartender picked up the phone and started dialing.

As soon as he was gone, she returned the handset to its cradle and grinned at me. My own smile now spreading from ear to ear as the realization hit me that an entire bar just came to my rescue. I bit my lip as my eyes scanned over the crowd of standing patrons, finally settling on Tobias. His smile warmed my heart and I knew I had to let him know just how grateful I was that he spoke up first.

I smiled shyly as I walked over to him. "I could just kiss you." My words bubbled out as I came to a stop beside him.

"I'm up for that." His eyes locked onto mine and his smile dared me to come closer. I had to look away as the whooping and hollering echoed through the room, lighting my cheeks with a pink hue.

I felt like a newlywed bride as the sound of people hitting their glasses and beer bottles with their silverware surrounded us.

Tobias shrugged. "Should we give the people what they want?"

I'm not usually this bold, but with three dozen bystanders cheering me on, I took a deep breath, leaned in closer and met his lips with mine. You'd think the local football team just won the Super Bowl if you were walking by outside. The entire bar erupted in shouting and cheering. By the time we pulled away, we were both blushing uncontrollably.

"I'm Tobias." He held out his hand, and though it seemed odd to shake his hand after kissing him, I took it and gave it a quick squeeze anyway. "This is Uriah, Zeke and Shawna." Then he addressed his friends, "guys, this is Tris."

I looked up at him after acknowledging each of his friends. "You know my name?"

"I do now."

I looked at his quizzically, not understanding what he meant.

"Professor Moore spoke to me after class. He said your chemistry partner had dropped the class, and since I'm the only one who didn't have a partner, he paired us up. I hope you don't mind. He was going to tell you tomorrow in class."

"Oh. Great! Molly and I did not get along at all. I was afraid we'd fail the class because we couldn't agree on anything."

"Well, the professor seems to think we'll make a good team."

I smiled at him again. "I think so too."


	2. Father Nightmare

" _This is for your own good." My father swung his belt again. It struck me across my back, almost in the same place as the previous swing, making the assault hurt more than usual. I clutched the edge of the counter tighter to keep myself on my feet. I didn't cry nor did I make any sound other than a low groan. I knew better. If anyone outside our small Abnegation house heard what was happening, I'd be in even more trouble. Sometimes I wondered if my father might actually kill me. "I know you hate me now, but some day you'll understand. This will make you better." He hit me one last time as I clenched my teeth and tensed my entire body, preparing for the blow."_

 _I let out a shaky breath after the sting of the leather strap spread through my right shoulder, not knowing how much more I could take. "Go get yourself cleaned up." My entire body rejoiced, with those few words. That meant I was free, at least for now, until I did something else that angered him enough to cause him to reach for one of his weapons. This time had been worse than others. I made the mistake of not putting the bread away after dinner last night. My father awoke, and found the stale loaf still sitting on the counter._

" _If you ever waste food in my house again…"_

" _I promise I won't sir." I knew the words he expected. I'd even perfected my tone of voice._

" _Good boy. I'm proud of you son. Some day you will teach your own children these same lessons."_

I sat up in a cold sweat and tried hard to swallow the lump in my throat. Tris lay beside me and I was happy I hadn't woken her up again. I swung my legs off the side of the bed and rested my elbows on my lap, holding my head up. This had been the third time this week. When Tris told me a few days ago that she was pregnant, I was so excited. We'd been trying for three months and finally our dream of becoming a whole family was coming true. But ever since, my past has haunted me in my dreams.

I didn't know how to be a father. The only lesson I learned from my father was how to rule with fear. I didn't want my child to be afraid of me, nor did I ever want to hurt them, but something in the back of my head told me I'd never be able to keep those promises. I'd learned how to be a monster. I learned it from my father. Like it or not, he made me what I was today. He taught me how to be Dauntless, long before I left Abnegation. I learned about fear and how to control it to prevent an even worse scenario. I learned how to be brave, to accept the punishments I thought I'd deserved at the time. I learned about violence, and what a powerful tool it can be against ones foes. And, the part of me I disliked the most, I learned how to hate.

I sat in the darkness a few moments longer, allowing my breathing to slow and my trembling to stop. I was wide awake now, and I was great full for it. Every time I close my eyes to sleep, he's there again, and I don't have it in me to fact him again tonight.

I decide to head to the gym for an early morning workout. I had to let out some of this bottled up aggression before I took it out on the wrong person. I slipped into a pair of black cargo pants and a black T-shirt and headed for the pit.

All of Dauntless was silent. It was too late for even the wildest parties to still be going yet it was too early for even the early birds to be up and about. I silently made my way to the gym and immediately made my way over to a hanging punching bag.

I started my usual training routine, hitting the bag with different punches and kicks. Keeping up the pace and order that had been ingrained in my body since I was an initiate. But it wasn't enough. The more I hit the bag, the more I needed to. Each swing coming quicker and stronger than the last until the stitching gave way under my fist and a steady stream of sand leaked out the hole, draining the bag slowly.

I let out a low grunt and moved over to the next bag to continue my assault. I hit the bag, with all the anger I felt until the emotion overpowered me. I was running on autopilot now as the background blurred away. My surroundings became my home in Abnegation and my father's face appeared on the target in front of me. I hit him everywhere, just like he did to me, but he didn't seem phased in the least.

I tiny voice in the back of my brain called out to me. "Four? Four, are you okay?"

It was her voice, the only thing that kept me from falling over the edge. She was behind me, and my father had noticed her two. He wanted to make her his new target, just to hurt me more than he already had. I refused to let him. I'd die before I let him hurt my Tris.

I pounded the bag, harder as I searched my father's expression for some sign that I was winning this battle, but none came. The voice came closer. "Four, do you want to talk?"

Marcus' face turned up in an evil grin. "This is for your own good. It will make you better." He tried to push past me, to get to her, but I prevented his advances with my fists.

"Four?" The voice was close enough to touch now. Why was she coming closer? Couldn't she see how dangerous he was? Doesn't she know what he will do to her if she comes within arm's length? I won't let him hurt her. I'll kill him first. I will kill him to protect her. To protect our unborn child.

I pull my fist back up by the side of my head, behind my ear. I'm ready to break him with one punch. I start to throw my fist forward when suddenly she steps between us. "Tobias."

I have to change the course of my fist to avoid hitting her. My arm flies past her head on the left and the momentum behind the thrust yanks me to the floor at her feet.

The fog in my head clears in the fraction of a second, and I'm no longer in Abnegation. My father is once again a worn down punching bag and Tris is kneeling beside me, rubbing my back as she speaks softly. Only she can pull me out of the darkness like this. Anyone else would have ended up with a fractured skull for making such an insane move.

"Did you have that dream again?"

My breathing is hard and comes in short busts through my nose like an angry bull.

Her hands reach for my face and wipe the wetness off my cheeks. "Tobias. You're not him. You would never hurt us." She places my hand on her slightly bloated abdomen as my eyes focus on hers. "Marcus is gone. He can't ever hurt us again." She pulls my head against her chest, wrapping her arms around my head. I close my eyes and listen to her heart beat that is now inches away from my ear. It's strong and steady, not elevated in the least. How did she know I'd come out of it before striking her? How is heart not pounding in her chest at the near miss?

As if she can hear my thoughts she answers. "I trust you. I trust you with my life and with our baby's. You will be an amazing father."

I pull away from her body, a movement that is almost physically painful. I look into her eyes and she can see the fear in mine. "How do you know?"

"I just do." She pulls me back against her and I close my eyes again. I picture our baby in my mind. A little girl with honey blonde hair and blue eyes. She looks just like Tris and I'm lost forever with just one smile.

"I think it's going to be a girl," I say. The image bringing a smile to my face.

"It doesn't matter what it is. Our baby will make us whole, and teach you what a father's love is supposed to feel like. You'll see."

My body relaxes in her embrace and a warmth is delivered to me with her words. "I can't wait," I reply and it's the truth. With Tris by my side, I can do anything. Becoming a father to her child being the most important and meaningful thing I will ever do with my life.


End file.
